Hush the Noise
by pandorabox82
Summary: Fletch wonders, in a still moment of the staff party, if he's missed his chance with the one person who truly makes his heart light.


"Dad! We're out of those froufrou mince pies that Serena insisted on bringing!" Mikey shouted from the living room, and Fletch winced a little, knowing that every guest in the home had heard the less than nice way his son had spoken. "Are there any more in the oven?"

"Oy! You could come in here and ask that, too!" he shouted back, only to hear a soft chuckle fill his senses. "And no backchat from you, either, Uncle Raf."

The other man held up his hands in protest, trying to give him an innocent look. While that might have worked on Essie or Kim, Fletch knew him far too well by now to fall for that. Instead, he lifted his eyebrows until a guilty flush bloomed across Raf's cheeks and he looked away. "I wasn't going to say anything," he replied quietly before lifting his glass of mulled wine to his lips and taking a long dreg. "But I do think that Serena stashed a few more plates of those froufrou pies in the fridge, if we needed more."

"Thanks." They nodded to each other, and Fletch pulled open the refrigerator door, seeing that Raf had been underestimating the number of trays that their friend had brought. "We're going to be eating mince pies for weeks!"

"I had to do something with my hands as I waited for the rest of my things from France to arrive. And besides, despite young Mikey's protests about how fancy they are, I caught him stuffing four or five in his face over the course of the last hour." She winked at them both before sashaying over to the oven and turning it on. "Now, once this finishes preheating, you'll want to let a few trays bake for about ten minutes. Just enough to warm them up, since they're already cooked. I'm going to head back to the living room and make certain that Theo isn't further encouraged to climb the Christmas tree."

Fletch nodded, marveling at how well Serena had managed to fit back into their lives, even though he had taken on the mantle of hosting the staff holiday party. She grinned before heading back into the living room and he relaxed against the counter, accepting the glass of wine from Raf's outstretched hand. "I'm sort of glad that I'm still on Keller. I have the feeling that she's going to be a bit terrifying the first few shifts that she's back."

"Oh, you got that feeling, too?" he shot back, quirking his eyebrows a bit as he brought the glass to his lips. "She's both more relaxed and has a tighter focus. I'm glad that I'll be up on Darwin for the most part. Let Donna deal with all that."

The shared a small laugh before Fletch set aside his glass and took out two trays, slipping them in the oven and turning the timer on for ten minutes, like Serena had suggested. "Is Jac coming tonight?"

Fletch stiffened a little, thinking about the budding relationship he had found himself in. It was comfortable to him, even if they fought like cats and dogs. There was still something about being with her that was easy, like she was the safe choice for him to make. He didn't want to think about what his mind and heart kept whispering to him, especially with said thought turner standing so close to him. Finally, after just a beat too long, he shook his head and turned slightly to look at Raf. "Emma's with Johnny this weekend, and Jac decided she'd be better off checking on Guy for Zosia and Olly."

"I see." Those two words seemed to hold a world of meaning, and Fletch tried to discover them all before Raf caught on to his scrutiny. Still, it seemed as if Raf just knew that he was being studied, since he cleared his throat a little, moving back and forth on the balls of his feet. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the distance between them closed to only a few millimeters. "It's hard to be apart from your partner at this time of year."

"It is," he agreed quickly, trying not to let his eyes focus on Raf's lips, or his thoughts wander to what it might feel like to kiss them. "But we all manage, don't we? I mean, look at Serena, with Bernie still in Sudan. And she's here, looking as if everything is as right as rain."

Raf cocked his head to one side before he nodded. "There is that." Setting aside his glass, Raf brought his hand up to his chin, letting his thumb run back and forth along the line of his jaw. Fletch swallowed thickly as his eyes followed the movement. Almost with a mind of it's own, Fletch's hand reached up and covered Raf's. Time stood still as they stared at each other, and something seemed to cosmically shift beneath him as they leaned in until their foreheads were touching. It was only one breath more before their lips met in a short, soft, gentle, kiss.

"I, I should go see if anyone else needs some more wine," Raf muttered as they stepped away from each other. Fletch gave a small nod as he released the breath he had been holding. He really didn't know what had come over him, only that something had felt so right in that kiss.

Serena came bustling back into the room, a conspiratorial smile dancing on her lips. "Someone looked a little flustered when he scurried into the living room just now. I took pity on him and said that I could refill my own wine glass, if he entertained the children, and Donna."

Fletch laughed as he shook his head. "You have to work with Donna, you know, once you're back."

She nodded before leaning in close and whispering, "Ric's been keeping me filled in on her antics, no worries there. But really, she's a sweetheart from what I can tell. It will be nice to really get to work with her, and not have certain things hanging over me." The smile on her lips turned sad, and Fletch shook his head a little as he wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'll be fine," she stated, and he just shook his head once more.

"You're back in your stressor environment, Serena. And while you're not working at the hospital yet, there are certain emotions that bubble up when you think about what happened there. I kind of get it, just a little."

"I knew that you would. So, turning our conversation to happier subjects, did you kiss him yet?"

He let out a snort as he pulled away from her. "I'll happily remind you that I am in a relationship with Jac Naylor, Ms Campbell."

"And we both know that that relationship is about as real as Raf's relationship with Essie. Everyone knew that she would end up with Sacha again in the end." She reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder. "We only have one life, Adrian. We have to grab hold of our happiness whenever we have the chance. And yes, you and Jac make a beautiful couple, and you could probably have a dozen more gorgeous children, but at the end of the day, you have to chase after what and who you love."

Bright, happy, tears sparkled in Serena's eyes as she squeezed his shoulder before moving over to the pan of mulled wine on the stovetop, pouring herself another generous serving. "You do have a point there, Serena."

"I usually do. Now, if you want to follow after me with a new plate of mince pies, I'm certain that everyone would love to have your presence in the living room once more." She winked at him before leaving him alone in the kitchen.

Fletch shook his head a little as he pulled on a pair of oven mitts and pulled out the mince pies, turning off the timer before grabbing out a fresh platter and arranging the pies on it. Taking a deep breath, Fletch made his way into the living room, taking a look at the current groups of people there. Serena was sitting on the floor, Theo in her lap, as she told a story to the children, while Donna and Morven were in a deep conversation with Essie and Sacha.

Which left Raf yet to be found. Finally, Fletch looked at the couch and noticed his friend sitting there, apparently listening in on the story Serena was telling as he sipped at his wine. A weird, prickly, feeling caused the hair on his neck to stand up, and he glanced back at Donna and Morven as he set the platter down on the coffee table. They both giggled before turning back to their conversation, and he blushed a little before taking a seat next to Raf, not wanting him to feel left out. "Did you and Serena have a nice chat?" he asked as Fletch slumped back against the fabric of the sofa.

"Yeah, she's always one to give good advice. Though I don't know if I'll be able to take it at this point. We'll just have to see how things play out, yeah?"

Raf nodded, seeming to pick up on the undercurrent of his words. "I completely understand, Fletch. There's just too much at stake sometimes to take the best advice." They nodded in unison and then Raf reached out and squeezed his knee gently before picking up a mince pie. Fletch nodded once more as he looked around the room at his friends and colleagues, wondering if there would ever come a time when he could be free enough to admit his feelings for Raf.


End file.
